Simply A'maze'ing!

New Zealand Historic Places Trust information release
19 January 2005

Totara Estate has 'branched out' from its traditions with the opening of a Children's Sunflower Maze.

The Estate's striking Oamaru stone buildings, made famous as the birthplace of New Zealand's frozen meat industry, are currently surrounded by a vast crop of sunflowers being grown for bird seed by local company, Topflite Seeds.

While growing conditions have been less than ideal this summer, the near 5 foot sunflowers are still tall enough to tower over most school children.

The maze takes the form of a branching puzzle maze in which each 'dead end' will have a letter clue. The aim for visitors will be to find each letter (and their way out of the maze of course!) and then 'unscramble' them to reveal a name.

And is the Estate concerned about losing some children in the maze? "Naturally, safety is a priority" said Estate Manager Scott Elliffe, but in a lighter vein added "But we're confident of locating every child by the start of the new school year!".

Mazes are currently going through a period of revival. Since the 1980s the number of mazes in Britain has trebled. Depending upon the success of this year's maze it may become a regular feature.

The maze has been created with the generous assistance of the Waitaki Rotary Club and will be open from this weekend (22nd January) until Waitangi Day. $1 from each Admission will go towards North Otago's Asian Tsunami relief fund.

For more information:

Scott Elliffe, Property Manager
Totara Estate
03 434 7169
Email: totaraestate@historic.org.nz